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Post by willow on Jul 16, 2007 17:33:15 GMT -5
Well I am definitely a person that likes to stick to safe food. I am a chicken person in more ways than one However on my trip in August, I would like to branch out a bit. So with that said, can anyone recommend a dish and/or a restaurant that I could try? Something not too intimidating, but something interesting and for a person on a budget. Many Thanks in advance! ~Anna
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Post by annettecinca on Jul 16, 2007 18:12:23 GMT -5
Willow, do you like duck? It would be a safe start in your bid to be more daring It's available at many, many places around the city, and usually pretty good.
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Post by willow on Jul 16, 2007 18:17:41 GMT -5
I've actually never had duck.
I've had beef and pork (which I hardly eat nowadays), salmon and tilapia (pretty good), and rabbit (a traumatizing experience dealing with what I thought was my first pet, Snoopy).
I do oddly enough enjoy chicken gizzards and liver and onion. But that is as different as I've gotten!
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Post by mtngrl on Jul 16, 2007 20:39:45 GMT -5
I agree, try the duck. I like it here at home, but enjoyed it even more in Paris.
What about foie gras?
I think it is great that you are wanting to branch out. I am like you, and not always the most adventuresome when it comes to food. Sometimes I try something and don't care for it, but many times I am pleasantly surprised.
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Post by willow on Jul 16, 2007 21:11:20 GMT -5
Nope, haven't tried foie gras. I actually am forever annoying my brother who is a chef, because when he cooks, I always ask for chicken! He hasn't convinced me to try anything new, which irks him to no end! Hehe..but that's what little sisters are for!
So any recommendations for good duck?
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Post by Anne on Jul 17, 2007 1:34:49 GMT -5
You will find magret de canard and confit de canard in many bistrots . Magret is the the filet of duck : it is quite thick and very tender and tasty . It is cooked with the skin, which then becomes crispy (but you can chose not to eat the skin since it is full of fat) . It is often served with some honey-based sauce . Confit de canard is more difficult to explain : it is usually a large leg, which has been cooked for many hours on low heat and so the meat is very dry, almost ham-like, because all the fat of the meat went out during cooking (but then this fat is used later to roast the potatoes that go with the confit ) . It is not the restaurant which cooks the duck that way, this is preserve food and the restaurant only reheats it . Magrets and confits are specialities from the South-West of France . They are absolutely delicious and should really give them a try .
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Post by goldenmama on Jul 17, 2007 4:22:52 GMT -5
:)The escargot we had at Chez Denise was truly yummy! I think that must be a somewhat adventurous food, because I managed to go 46 years without trying it!
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Post by willow on Jul 17, 2007 23:43:25 GMT -5
Escargot would be a bit much to try..though it would make my brother proud!
Confit de canard sounds good explained that way! I was under the impression it was something very different, but that actually sounds yummy!
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Post by GitteK on Jul 18, 2007 0:08:55 GMT -5
willow - if you like fried chicken with crisp skin, you will LOVE confit de canard (or confit d'oie, if made from a goose). I suggest also that you go for mixed salads (salade composée) - there are lots of variations of the "filling": ham, cheese, walnuts, tuna, smoked salmon, eggs - and also with chicken gizzards (= gésiers) and roasted chickenliver (= foie de volaille), which you said you liked. A very good chickenbreast will be in cream sauce (suprême de volaille/poulet à la crème). Everything "à la crème" usually goes down very nicely ! Also try "Blanquette de veau" - which is veal in cream sauce. Another chicken dish is of course "coq au vin" - in red wine sauce with smoked bacon, onions and mushroom. A very good variation of this comes with beef instead: "Boeuf à la Bourguinonne". If you can get it, you will also like pigeon (and we are NOT talking about the flearidden creatures in the streets. The kinds you eat are from the forests) - it is very good bird. And then of course pheasant (faisan) and perdrix (partridge). I never had it myself, but almost everywhere you can have a dish of "Magret de canard" = duck breast in slices, often prepared in some fruity sauce, like cherries, raspberries or oranges - or with honey. I haven't tried it (must do next time), because usually I prefer my duck crisp, like we have for Christmas in DK: Must be avoided: escargots, foie gras, fromage de tête, tête de veau, andouillette, tripes, boudin, rognons, crustacés, moules, huîtres, roquefort.
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Post by annettecinca on Jul 18, 2007 0:31:50 GMT -5
Okay people...I am embarrassed to admit that I've never tried foie gras I generally steer clear of organ meats. Can someone describe what it tastes like (chicken? he he) and what it is about it that makes it so darn good to so many connoisseurs? Does it have a strong or mild taste? Is it "gamey"? Does it bear any similarities to beef liver? Inquiring minds want to know...
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Post by Becky (Berkeleytravelers) on Jul 18, 2007 0:56:44 GMT -5
Annette -- mostly, it's a mild flavor (to me, does not taste like "liver") and extremely rich -- which is why it works well balanced against other flavors (e.g., apples, or a honey-based sauce, certain sweetish white wines, etc.). I eat it only very occasionally, and I prefer it sauteed so that most of the fat is drained out. (I also like it as pate, yum!)
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Post by GitteK on Jul 18, 2007 2:36:19 GMT -5
Take a packet of margerine. Leave it on the kitchen table over night. First thing in the morning stick your tongue into packet of margerine.
There's your foie gras.
Rich ? That's a euphemism if I ever saw one. Fat, greasy, sticky.
But yes, the flavor is pretty mild - as is that of margerine.
Unfortunately it does not taste like liver, which I love - if well done.
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Post by Shoesy on Jul 18, 2007 4:06:03 GMT -5
Thank you, darling Gitte, for that description, which has truly nauseated me. Now how am I supposed to eat my breakfast? It's about 5:00 A.M., which is just about breakfast time for poor jet-lagged me? ;D
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Post by goldenmama on Jul 18, 2007 4:20:01 GMT -5
Yuck, gross....Gitte, that is a horrible thought at 5 in the morning! You've offended our delicate morning tummies here on the east coast!
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Post by Anne on Jul 18, 2007 5:04:16 GMT -5
Gitte, how dare you describe a French gastronomical monument such as foie gras that way Foie gras is a heavenly delicacy . It is true that it doesn't taste like liver (I don't eat liver) . Maybe I can see the problem from your description : first, foie gras must be eaten rather cold, not kind of lukewarm as you seem to have eaten it . Second, you must be aware that there are different qualities (and prices) for foie gras : what you describe sounds like terrine de foie gras, which is made from foie gras turned into a kind of paste (yuck) . You must absolutely go for "foie gras ENTIER" . OK, then you can still sometimes recognize the liver lobes which I admitt can be somehow off-putting, but this is the real quality stuff . And one thing to know about the foie gras tasting étiquette : it absolutely mustn't be eaten spread on the bread like a vulgar pâté : either you eat it with you knife and fork, or you cut one piece after the other that you put delicately on your bread without crushing them . NON MAIS !!!
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Post by holger on Jul 18, 2007 5:58:59 GMT -5
Gitte, "To each her/his own," I agree with Anne as to Foie Gras. If prepared properly it has no similarity whatever to your description. As to the other items on your avoid list, I like mussels and cooked shell fish of all kinds. I also enjopy duck and goose as you do. But these are all our personal likes and dislikes. Not a good idea to use these as must or must nots for others. Every body's palate is differently programmed by a variety of experiences.
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Post by sandy on Jul 18, 2007 6:10:55 GMT -5
Read my post about Foyer de la Medeleine, especially if you are on a budget but want to try some traditional French food.
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Post by Truffaut on Jul 18, 2007 6:35:17 GMT -5
Foie gras can be very, very good. Many people eat it half-cooked ("mi-cuit"), but I really don't care for it that way. Sauteed, with a very fragile crust on the outside and soft and smooth on the inside is a different matter, altogether! LuckyLuc had some marvelous foie gras recently during our dinner at the restaurant that replaced Le Petit Pamphlet. I seem to recall that it was served with a lightly sweet sauce as well--maybe dates?
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Post by goldenmama on Jul 18, 2007 6:48:33 GMT -5
Both of my kids tried foie gras in France and actually enjoyed it.
Truffaut--Le Petit Pamphlet is gone? I thought it was picking up for Le Pamphlet while it was closed. Are they both gone?
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Post by GitteK on Jul 18, 2007 7:19:55 GMT -5
>>>Not a good idea to use these as must or must nots for others<<< What nonsense ! My list is absolutely objective - so how can anyone possibly disagree ? Eaters of foie gras, escargots, oysters and roquefort suffer from some inherent genetic code fault, so naturellement I forgive you the error of your ways, as you know not better, poor dear. (holger - I was waiting for someone to fall into that trap....... ;D ;D)
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